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- ⚡️ Disney's magical (and adorable) new robot
⚡️ Disney's magical (and adorable) new robot
PLUS: Monkey with pig kidney transplant breakthrough!
Rowan Cheung
October 12, 2023
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Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.
Disney just unveiled an adorable robot that hints at a new generation of delightful Disney creations.
Will the entertainment brand’s next act be the most magic one of all? Let’s get into it.
In today’s tech rundown:
🤖 Disney debuts adorable new robot
🐒 Monkey with pig kidney lives years in transplant success
🚀 Character AI's unstoppable growth
🛠️ 8 New products
📰 6 quick stories
Read time: 3 minutes
TODAY’S HEADLINES
DISNEY
Image source: Disney Research
The Rundown: Disney Research just revealed an expressive new bipedal robot that can walk stably and independently like an animated character. The 3D-printed bot was developed by Disney's Zurich team in under a year.
The details:
The robot has movable antennae on its head that wiggle like animal ears to show emotion.
It can walk smoothly on its own without falling over — and keeps its balance when shoved or crossing uneven terrain.
Disney worked with animators so the robot moves expressively like a cartoon character while still functioning properly.
The animation-inspired development pipeline allows new behaviors to be quickly trained.
The relevance: While not destined for Disney parks yet, this tech could eventually enable some seriously interactive animatronics down the road — unlocking new magical experiences for fans.
TOGETHER WITH HELP ME WITH
The Rundown: Unlock smarter web searches with the "Help Me With" Chrome extension featuring AI-powered convenience.
Offering three main benefits:
Integration with Google's ChatBot LLM for advanced AI-powered search on your current page.
Simplistic design, instantly activating a search box for immediate query resolution via Bard without complex settings.
Convenient access through Ctrl + B, right-click, browser icon, or by typing 'Help' in your URL bar, and for power users.
LONGEVITY
Image source: Nature
The Rundown: Researchers have achieved an exceptional 2+ year survival time after transplanting a genetically edited pig kidney into a monkey, one of the longest interspecies transplant durations ever.
The details:
Researchers used CRISPR to edit 69 genes in donor pigs, including disabling genes that trigger organ rejection and neutralizing viruses.
15 monkeys received the modified kidneys along with immunosuppressants. 9 survived over a year, with 1 exceeding 2 years.
The results show the potential viability of genetically engineered pig organs to address the human organ shortage — with regulators considering clinical trials.
Why it matters: This research is an exciting step toward solving organ shortage — and as techniques are refined, the potential to save human lives with xenotransplantation looks increasingly achievable.
NEW PRODUCTS
😮 OpenSauced- Use deep insights to optimize your open-source project (link)
📖 NotionPlates- Free notion templates for covers, tools, and more (link)
🗺️ Dynamic Map for Webflow- A filterable map with pins for Webflow (link)
🎥 Descript- A powerful all-in-one video and podcast editing tool using AI (link)
🔥 Jasper- An AI copywriter assistant that can generate any kind of marketing copy (link)
📊 Sheet AI- Put AI in your Google Sheets (link)
🪄 Guidde- Magically create stunning how-to guides with AI (link)
🎥 Munch- Extract the most engaging and impactful clips from your long-form videos (link)
Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.
SNIPPETS
Adobe's "Project Res-Up" is a new AI tool that dramatically upscales and improves the quality of old, low-resolution videos and GIFs.
Firefox is testing a "Review Checker" to rate the reliability of product reviews using technology from the acquired company, Fakespot.
Google's "Flood Hub" tool, offering real-time flood forecasts, is now available in the U.S. and Canada to help communities prepare for climate-related flooding.
Utah has filed a lawsuit against TikTok for child safety concerns and its ties to China, alleging the app's addictive design manipulates young users and misrepresents its relationship with parent company ByteDance.
Google pays Apple up to $20B yearly for iPhone search dominance; the deal is at risk due to an antitrust case.
The FTC proposes a rule requiring businesses to display total prices with fees upfront; Ticketmaster and SeatGeek have already committed to all-in pricing.
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THAT’S A WRAP
If you have anything interesting to share, please reach out to us by sending us a DM on Twitter: @rowancheung & @therundowntech
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